What you eat has a serious impact on how your brain ages — and a new study says a certain diet could greatly reduce your dementia risk.
Healthy eating has long been shown to improve cognitive performance and stave off degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s, but recent research suggests a specific kind of healthy dining reigns supreme in the battle against dementia, particularly for those predisposed to decline.
Researchers from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care followed nearly 2,000 older adults over age 60 who didn’t have dementia for 15 years.
They looked at the effects of three diets:
- The Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED)
- The Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)
- The reversed Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index (rEDII), a scientific scoring system used to assess whether overall food intake triggers or mitigates inflammation
For the purposes of this study, people following the rEDII protocol prioritized foods known to reduce inflammation, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
At the end of the study, they found that among participants at higher risk for Alzheimer’s, only the final diet showed significant risk reduction, suggesting that focusing on anti-inflammatory foods is key to preventing Alzheimer’s in those who are predisposed to it.
“An anti-inflammatory diet is great for the prevention and slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” Emily Case, registered dietitian at Northwell Health, told The Post.
Case stated that previous research has established that eating plans like the DASH diet (a heart-healthy plan to lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and prevent chronic diseases) and the Mediterranean diet (which prioritizes whole foods, fresh produce, whole grains and healthy fats) can boost brain health as we age.
Case notes that these diets can prevent and delay, but not reverse, cognitive decline.
Oxidative stress, which mainly arises from chronic inflammation, speeds up aging and fuels chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and diabetes.
Case explained that inflammation is a bit like a bodily bonfire, and what we consume can stoke or dampen it.
“That’s something that we need to keep in mind when we choose the foods that we do to eat,” she said.
When it comes to prioritizing anti-inflammatory foods, Case recommends antioxidant-rich berries and dark leafy greens, as well as foods high in omega-3s, such as salmon and walnuts.
“Then there’s fiber: whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds. And then healthy fats. avocados, olive oil, and nuts,” she said. “Anything that improves our heart health will also reduce inflammation in our body.”
It’s critical for those with a family history of Alzheimer’s to focus on the foods they eat, she added.
“The biggest thing people with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease can do is really change their diet and lifestyle, or at least optimize it. We can really change the path of where our brain health goes based on what we eat,” she said.
In addition to optimizing nutrition, she recommends prioritizing sleep and reducing the frequency of red meat consumption and meals high in saturated fat: “Really optimize your plate and your lifestyle to elongate the good part of life.”
While she underscores that cognitive decline cannot be reversed, she maintains it is possible to improve symptoms through thoughtful eating.
“It might be too late to cure what you might already be experiencing, but you sure can prevent a more aggressive progression by improving your diet,” she said.
Across the country, one in 10 older adults is already living with dementia. The number of new cases each year is expected to double in the coming decades, climbing from roughly 514,000 in 2020 to a staggering 1 million by 2060.
The toll is significant: Dementia costs the US an estimated $781 billion in 2025 alone, and it contributes to more than 100,000 deaths annually.
